The Center of Excellence for Materials Science Research (hereinafter referred to as the Center) will be a collaborative unit of the American Dental Association Health Foundation (ADAHF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST, formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a nonregulatory federal science and engineering laboratory. Established in 1901, the organization has a materials research program recognized worldwide. The Bureau began conducting research on dental materials in 1919 to support the safe, efficient, and economical use of materials to benefit consumers and the practicing dental professional and to support the competitive position of U.S. dental materials companies in international markets. The Center, with 12,900 square feet of assigned space, will be at the institutional heart of the Dental and Medical Materials Group, which is part of the Polymers Division, Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Its establishment will mark a further strengthening and melding of the cooperative dental restorative materials research endeavor between the NIST and the American Dental Association (ADA) extending back to 1928. Cost/benefit analyses of various ADAHF/NIST research projects, including composites, the panoramic X-ray machine and the contraangle turbine handpiece, show very impressive returns for research investments. Location of the Center at NIST offers advantages that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. As the world's premier science and engineering laboratory, NIST has unexcelled on-campus technical and support services, meeting and research facilities, and opportunities for consulting and collaborating with materials scientists and engineers. The international reputation of NIST, combined with its proximity to the nation's capitol, the National Institutes of Health and several major universities, assures a continual flow of guest scientists and visitors working on materials research projects. The exchange of information engendered by their presence further stimulates NIST research excellence. The ADAHF's Paffenbarger Research Center and the NIST Dental and Medical Material.Group attracts dental materials researchers of the finest quality and reputation. This fact, combined with the other advantages inherent in NIST's facilities, should assure high quality of research conducted in the seven initial projects proposed in this application.